Prime Video’s new rom-com Picture This stars Simone Ashley and Hero Fiennes Tiffin as exes with a complicated history, but thankfully the stars broke down a bit of it in a new interview with ScreenRant. Inspired by the Australian film Five Blind Dates, the latest movie from director Prarthana Mohan was written by Nikita Lalwani and focuses on the Indian-British community rather than the Chinese-Australian community of the original. Ashley plays Pia, a pH๏τographer who runs a portrait studio with her best friend Jay (Luke Fetherston) and spends her downtime eschewing the marital expectations her family has for her.
Fiennes Tiffin’s Charlie may be the reason Pia is so resistant to love, though she insists early on that she’s merely devoted to her career. Once they lock eyes at a wedding celebration, however, it’s clear that there are still very strong feelings lingering between them. Naturally, this sends Pia running to her family for some blind date options, thus gathering the perfect ingredients for a zany rom-com that blends familial love with friendship and romance.
ScreenRant interviewed Ashley, Fetherston, and Fiennes Tiffin about their roles in Prime Video’s Picture This, and the leads generously offered a peek into their character’s past relationship. Fetherston looked to the possible future and coined the perfect тιтle for a sequel based on Jay, while all three revealed their favorite blind date in the present.
Simone Ashley & Hero Fiennes Tiffin Look Back On The Journey That Led To Picture This
“He Really Did Feel Like Something Was Missing”
Chemistry is king in any romantic comedy, and the looks that pᴀss between Pia and Charlie do plenty of their talking for them in Picture This. But the breakdown of their previous relationship still requires some explanation, which Fiennes Tiffin was kind enough to offer. “I feel like, from when they stopped seeing each other, he really did feel like something was missing,” the actor explained. “But he knew that he had to prioritize at that time the wellbeing of his family and the family business.”
There is some irony in the fact that Charlie chose his family business over Pia in the past, and Pia is now putting her personal business over other romantic options. With Charlie back in her orbit, another layer is added to the irony cake. “I reckon he was really excited for the opportunity to come where he could naturally talk to Pia again,” Fiennes Tiffin said of their first interaction in the movie. “It wouldn’t be right to pop up out the blue and try to rekindle [things], but the way in which it’s happened has been really natural.”
He was really excited to talk to Pia, but to her it was less expected and came as more of a shock.
Simone Ashley, meanwhile, gave another kind of history lesson – this time in reference to the casting of her Sєx Education character’s mother in Picture This. While Sindhu Vee only made a few appearances in season 2 as Olivia’s mother, her role was memorable for fans of the Netflix series. The duo get much more time together in the new Prime Video movie, and Ashley relished a chance to dive into their dynamic. “It was incredible for us to reunite together,” the actor gushed before pointing out that “it was day and night, the comparison of that project and this one.”
“Our characters went on more of a journey together,” Ashley explained, “and I think there are lots of modern twists in Picture This with their mother-daughter relationship.” Not only that, but Vee gets plenty more chances to show off her comedic chops here, bantering with her two onscreen daughters and driving much of Pia’s romantic mishaps. “She’s fab,” her costar’s praise continued. “She was the only one that got applause when the crew yelled cut. Her comedic timing is just on point.”
Luke Fetherston Plays Pia’s Rock In Picture This – And He Deserves A Sequel
“I Think It Could Be As Colorful As He Is”
Picture This is particularly unique because its primary focus is not on the romance between Pia and Charlie, but rather on how her personal growth journey affects her relationships with everyone in her life – including her family and her best friend. For the most part, Jay is as supportive as best friends get, but his financial stability is on the line when Pia’s issues affect their portrait studio. Viewers might expect her pursuit of love to negatively impact her work, but rather it’s the opposite, meaning Jay actively roots for her to ‘get laid’ just to let off some steam.
But what about Jay’s love life? The story alludes to his encounters, but there isn’t space to devote much screentime to his romantic pursuits when Pia already has so much going on. When asked about the potential of a sequel following his character, Fetherston had some pretty cheeky ideas. “A sequel called Picture That, shall we say?” the actor suggested. “I think we could have some fun with that.” As for Jay’s love life, he admitted he wasn’t “sure if people want to picture that,” but did agree that “I think it could be as colorful as he is. Let’s just say that.”
Not that Pia’s escapades aren’t colorful enough for Picture This. She embarks on increasingly bizarre and hilarious blind dates throughout the rom-com, and each one is so remarkable that the cast had a tough time deciding which one was their favorite. Ashley went with Akshay, played by Nikesh Patel, a young nerd who works with Pia’s mom and could be considered a family friend. Fiennes Tiffin chose Sid, played Asim Chaudhry, whose wealth is only matched by his eccentricity. Finally, Fetherson suggested Milo, played by Phil Dunster, whose meditation signs are sure to delight audiences.
Catching Up With Kate & Anthony In Bridgerton Season 4
Simone Ashley Offers Some Hints About Her Screentime Next Season
I could not let a Simone Ashley interview pᴀss, of course, without asking for an update on Bridgerton season 4. The actor fondly praised the new leads, saying, “It’s been so wonderful… I’m just so excited for the world to see everything that Yerin [Ha] and Luke [Thompson] have been up to.” She also emphasized that “they’ve been working so, so hard,” which is something she’s seen more than once with her own two eyes because “we filmed a couple of times now.”
Fans are understandably very protective of Ashley and her costar Johnathan Bailey, who were the focus of Bridgerton season 2. After season 1, the Netflix hit failed to secure a return for their original male lead, Regé-Jean Page, and eventually let go of the first female lead, Phoebe Dynevor. Since then, viewers have gone over screentime with a fine-tooth comb, hoping that subsequent pairings will not be cast aside in future seasons.
For that reason, it was a joy to see Kate and Anthony return for season 3 and even get a pregnancy storyline. What awaits them now that they’re parents in season 4? Ashley was тιԍнт-lipped, but still ᴀssured me that “I’m excited for everyone to see the glimpses of Kate and Anthony’s journey carrying on together.”
Check out our other Picture This interview with:
- Prarthana Mohan
Picture This premieres March 6 on Prime Video.
Source: Screen Rant Plus
